Overview

*Please note this is a 12 month Fixed Term Contract

We are both the UK's fastest growing economy and fastest growing tech ecosystem. Whilst our reputation as a hotspot of business growth and centre of tech innovation has never been stronger, our strategy has never been more ambitious.

We are undergoing the delivery of a massive £5.25bn regeneration programme that is further enhancing our town as we pave the way to becoming a truly modern city. It's already an incredible place to live, work, visit and do business with. With an array of retail, leisure and restaurant options, a thriving tech sector, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, a friendly community vibe and unparalleled diversity, we're fiercely proud of our brilliant places and people. In fact, more than 360,000 residents and 13,000 businesses call Croydon their home, making us the 2nd largest borough in London.

As an award winning digital Council (Digital Council of the year 2017), we look to iteratively evolve and adapt our products and services to the changing needs and circumstances of our residents, businesses and visitors. Our ambition is to provide the best possible user experience across our digital public services, transforming the relationship between our borough and the Council for the better whilst reducing costs and improving quality. As such we are now bringing together our work in a renewed Digital Services Programme that will be supported by the creation of a Digital Services team.

About the role:

Reporting to the Chief Digital Officer (CDO), this will be the first new appointment that will help shape the future of the programme. In the first instance, with the CDO, you will undertake a rapid review of the Council's existing products and digital transformation capability to develop a business case, strategy and roadmap on how we can better serve the public through the Digital Services Programme. You will also collaborate and work with our ICT Team as we drive an ambitious re-evaluation of our IT procurement. Working closely to deliver shared goals, together you will look to identify where our public-facing services have dependencies on line of business applications or common technology platforms in our ICT stack.

More broadly your role will encompass the definition of project roadmaps, and prioritisation of high-level service backlogs of work for the digital delivery team. You will need to understand a complex set of problems - working closely with stakeholders, users, technical, policy and operational experts to contribute towards this exciting service vision.

What you will do:

• Review the current digital services programme and its products, working closely with the new CDO to develop a business case and proposal for reforms that will accelerate the transformation of our public-facing digital services through a mix of in-house and outsourced delivery
• Advocate for the use of the most appropriate methodologies for digital transformation and how to bring agile ways of working into the Council where appropriate and principles in the Local Digital Declaration, Local Digital Service Standard and GDS design principles
• Understand the range of user needs and engage with internal and external stakeholders to encourage take-up and use of our services and ensure they are clear on the benefits of the service
• Manage the existing contract and supplier relationship, ensuring continuity of service
• Lead and manage the existing in-house digital team to collaboratively work together and unblock issues, ensuring continuity of service and delivery of backlogs
• Champion and drive a diverse, inclusive, supportive culture that stimulates innovation and enables colleagues to build and sustain high quality products and delivery.

Essential Criteria:

• Track record of successfully delivering impactful digital transformation programmes and service improvements in a senior role within the public (advantageous) or private sector
• Owning and driving the operational process of designing and running a product or service throughout its entire life cycle with best practice in mind, planning and delivering at each stage
• Track record of advocating and delivering products and services utilising a range of tools of methodologies, specifically including agile and lean methodologies to deliver products and services at scale e.g Kanban, Scrum, Lean, DTSM
• Engaging a variety of stakeholders through excellent communication and influencing skills, understanding context and translating between technical and non-technical
• Team management - building, motivating teams and understanding team dynamics
• Procurement and supplier management
• Proven ability to network and deliver presentations internally and externally
• Qualifications across any of the following are advantageous but not necessary ITIL, ISEB Accreditation in Service Management, Prince2

What's in it for you:

As the first new hire for the Digital Services Team, you have the chance to really shape the future of the Digital Services Programme for one of the fastest growing boroughs in London. Our ambitions are very real - so we are looking for inspirational leaders who share our passion for supporting business growth and respond to local needs.

We invest in our employees to help develop and achieve professional goals whilst also providing you with the opportunity to work with brilliant minds and be part of an exceptional high performing team. We also have a generous benefits package.

This post is politically restricted and under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, as amended by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 and the post holder may not have any active political role either in or outside the work.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.